-Cooler Master Notepal Infinite Review- Lots of pics:D

Hi,

sorry if i ask a redundant question, 200 posts take a reaallllyy long time to read.

I have the HP Pavilion DV6324us (dv6000 series) 15.4" laptop. This one has an intake in the bottom as well as 2 outlets in the upper left corners. I am keen on buying this cooler cause i use the laptop in bed quite frequently.

How well does the Infinite work with the DV6000 series laptops? If not this one, any other suggestions that work well with my laptop?

 

Ah yes the dv6xxx series. That should work pretty good with the notepal infinite. Have you tried other cooling solutions such as cleaning vents and undervolting?

 

wow...i had no idea cooling a laptop is like a science in itself...this place is like a treasure island of info...i googled undervolting and i found 2 detailed articles from these forums...thnx for your reply and introducing me to those terms, dude!

i am ordering the netpal infinite and then i am going to tinker around with the undervolting thing once i got my data backed up. but off-the-bat i am concerned about one thing...my laptop is among one of those models that had the controversial GPU chips that had to potential to overheat and fry the system...so far so good for me, but i am concerned if tinkering with voltages would affect this adversely.

 

Undervolting the CPU will not have a direct effect on the GPU, the only difference is that the CPU now produce less heat so the heat sink now handles less heat from the CPU and allows for better cooling of the GPU as well.

On a side note, do you have extended warranty from HP on that?

 

the more i read about about undervolting, the more promising it looks. can't wait to start working on it.

extended warranty...errr, no.

 

Hey!

I was told (by X2P) that this cooler might be my best bet (along with another cooler, but its not available in the country I'm currently in).

Soo, here's the picture of the lappy.

http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/27826.jpg

Laptop Width - 39.2
Cooler Width - 38

Do you think that 1.2 (0.6 per each side) will make a huge difference? After all, the (only) fan is in the top left corner...

I'll check today to make sure, but from what I recall the hot spots are in the middle (yeah, sucks), top left (fan) and bottom right (HDD). So basically, apart from the middle, the hot spots are usually on the edges.

Also, does this cooler "hold" the laptop well, if it's smaller than the laptop ? I've been thinking about using it on my lap (which is what I do most of the time).

 

8710p ehh? The only thing I am worried about is the fitting. Had the bottom been flat then that would have been ok. But those big feets on the hdd bay and at other random locations might pose problems. I own the smaller 8510p and it fits the cooler perfectly (to the edge).

 

I guess you're talking about those rubber feet... well, personally I thought that they would actually stabilize the laptop on the cooling pad, being rubber and all..

But then again, they are at the edges so I see why they might be an issue... Damn, gotta measure the distance between the rubber feet and the edge of the laptop to see if it would fit.

What do you think I should get for 17" laptop then? Apart from hella expensive zalman

 

Do you really need a cooler? What are you temps like? I know my 8510p can easily manage without one.

 

I'm playing basically all the time on my laptop (bought it as a desktop replacement) and it's getting annoying with those high temps.
I cleaned it recently but it doesn't seem to help much.
Besides, it gets hot (and I mean hot) when it's simply put on the desk (since most of the heat goes through the bottom hole).

I used to put it on 4 rubber erasers, since they are small and high enough, but I use it on my lap quite often, and I have to say that sometimes the temp is close to unbearable

 

Does this cooler push air up or suck air down? I have a 1530

 

I have an XPS m1530 and a Notepal Color Infinite (the 2009 release). I'll probably do a mini-review soon, but for now, the cooler pushes air up.

 

Thanks, so it should work just fine with our laptops...

When you have time, can you post a shot of your temps?

 

Well, it works to an extent but has its limitations. I already took some photos and I'll definitely post a review over the weekend highlighting temps. Just wait up for it...kinda busy with some exams this week.

 

I am thinking about getting this for my HP dv7 but this will rarely be used on a desk. I am mainly looking to keep my legs(and family jewels) from frying when i am sitting on my couch doing homework.

Would this be decent for using on your lap? I have been trying to find a good laptop cooler/lapdesk to use for a 17" laptop

Thanks

 

I have a 1530 and the Notepal infinite too, but no temps for now. I can tell you though under load, with the fans on high vs the fans off, the difference was 68C vs 72C. i also used to idle at around 50C, now I idle at around 40C. Once saw it go as low as 36.

 

I have never actually seen a 17'' notebook on it so I am unsure. Sorry. Though the cooler does sit on my lap nicely . ^^

 

anyone tried this with a gateway p-7805u fx?

 

I am having some difficulty with finding a reliable laptop cooler for my Asus G51. I've seen the Zalman recommended for it, but when it comes to reducing temperature for the G51 the results aren't as positive as what most reviews advertise. Some would say it's a 2-5C drop, which to me seem kinda low considering the cost. The Zalman is cool and all, I'll say that much, but I've been curious to see if I can find a cheaper alternative that is still fairly effective. I am wondering if the Notepal Infinite would make a good candidate.

For image of the laptop's bottom, see here.

 

That I have no idea, try the gateway forum.

The sides (top and bottom) will be fine, center on the other hand will not be cooled.

 

Hmm. The G51 has the CPU almost dead center in the middle (a little off to the side). I think it's usually the GPU that gets stressed (which is in the lower corner), but I'm not sure.

 

Wow! One of the best reviews I've seen. Good work!
If I someday purchase a cooler it will be this one, for sure.

 

I have had the cooler master notepal infinite for several months, been using both my thinkpad T60 and asus G50vt on this thing and i can safely say it won't make a big difference even with the fan spinning on max.

The cooler lowered the GPU in my G50vt like 2-4C while under load in gaming, CPU got even less benefit,probably 1-2C lower. It does have slight bigger impact on my T60, although the difference is a mere 5C drop.

G50vt and G51 have exactly the same backpanel and GPU/CPU placement which is top left under the grill looking thing. It's the only place that will get hot while gaming, the rest parts of the laptop just remain cool. It makes sense that the cooler makes a bigger difference on my T60 as its whole bottom gets hot while performing intensive tasks.

If you are going to get a cooler for your G51, i recommend against getting this one as u will most likely see minimal temp drop.

 

Really, those results aren't far off from what the NC2000 would do... Except the Zalmar has the one disadvantage of drawing air in from the bottom. I was almost ready to settle with getting one until I realized that. I do occasionally like to use my laptop in my lap and I feel almost guaranteed that airflow would be interrupted or blocked if I were to do that. Which isn't going to do me any good.

It's rather hard to find something that will work under the conditions that I'm looking for... If all else fails I'll probably settle for an Xpad.

 

The heat of G50/51 is spread unevenly underneath the notebook, thats the reason i think u are gonna have a hard time finding a efficient cooler for it.

What really confused me is that if u open up the backpanel of your g50/51, u will find there is a piece of black film covers the grill vent, which is right underneath the only fan. It seems ASUS did that on purpose, but i never get why, shouldn't it have MUCH better air circulation if we remove the film?

 

I think someone might have done that... http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=411871. If that's what you meant.

I don't know how the results would look. The results shown there was 'apparently' for the drill hole modification. At least from how it was explained to me. If that's the case then the reason for showing a picture of a modified backplate vent makes no sense to me.

 

Thanks for the link. hmmm, interesting. Looks like he did lots of hard modding to the backplate.

You can simply just remove the film to see if it helps to cool down the laptop, the film is glued to the blackplate, but its not that hard to take it off. Once its taken off, the fan will directly draw fresh air from the bottom. u dont even need to order a new backplate, just keep the film and put it back on when u need to send it to asus to repair.I think i am gonna try this.

 

Hmm, I think I'll take a look at that. I'd love to get a spare backplate to modify, but they seem to be in short supply. Any kind of special glue needed to put the film back on? In the meantime I'm going to look for a screwdriver. >.>

 

The grill is NOT a vent. It's simply a decoration. You remove the black heat shield and you'll hit solid plastic. Additional drilling required.

I didn't simply remove the entire faux-grill because I wanted that area to retain structural integrity.

 

hmm, well. That sucks, thx for the info, forge. That saves me the hassle to try.

 

While it's not an air intake, it should have been. With more cool air being sucked into the fan and running over the heatpipes, you'll see stronger cooling.

 

Maybe i should go ahead and remove the black film then drill a couple of holes on the hard plastic, would that provide enough air circulation? I still have no idea where i can get a drill, dont wanna shell out $$ just for using it once.

Oh, since u are here, another question I removed the heat sink of the cpu today and found the thermal compound between the CPU die and copper is bone dry and hardened, yet my cpu remains very cool(under 50c after UV all the time), should i be worried and change the thermal paste? or is this completely normal?

 

Heeeeeey! Go start you own thread.

 

Sorry to hijack this thread might do that in the asus forum. Have a good one!!

 

Lidow, try here.

 

hey guys how do u clean this thing? i removed the screws off the mesh, and umm now what? sorry for noobish question

 

There are screws on the bottom of the cooler too. Remove the rubber pads on the bottom and you will find them. There are alot of screws on this thing.

 

Did anybody test this cooler with Dell Studio 15?

 

The fan should cover the main fan vent, ram, and hdd quite well. do you have the new (16:9) or the old version old the Studio 15?

 

yeah I got the Dell Studio 1555, not the old 1537 one or the newer 1557.

So would this cooler be good with 1555?

Thanks

 

It should work just fine. But before you spend money, have you tried other cooling solutions such as cleaning your fans or undervolting?

 

Actually I am not really comfortable with cleaning the fans myself, I'll try Undervolting though.

The thing is my Studio is just 5 months old and I had been using a cooling pad since the beginning. It was a really cheap local made one but worked good. Now its dead, so I am looking for a nice branded one as I have gotten quite used to the tilt and a base (as I prefer to keep my lappy on bed) that a cooling pad provides in addition to its cooling feature.

My temps are really normal right now, like CPU cores max. 35, HDD max 40, and GPU max 70 while playing high end game like SF4 or Batman AA. But I don't know why the touchpad area gets warmer pretty fast.

I am reading that undervolting topic currently, but I do need a pad for the above reasons. I love my Studio and want to do my best to maintain it. I think its a good investment for long term. wat say?

Thanks

 

Touchpad gets warm because the ram is directly below it, I noticed that too when I was on the older 1535 the other day. Didn't get a chance to open that up though. But considering it's just one big bottom panel, it should be fairly easy to maintain.

At 5 months old now would be a good time to clean, it is one of the big cause of heat issues too. See the guide below.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4020

But either way you temps looks good (35 max CPU? thats probably just idle temp), a cooling would be a nice long term investment.

 

Thanks, but do you think instead of opening the laptop, a nice powerful air blower (not sucker) would do the job? Like blowing it across all vents? Will it help to remove the dust?

Yes, currently as I monitor from HWMointor (for CPU and HDD) and GPU-Z (for GPU), the temps are like this:-

Idle:-
CPU - 35 each
HDD - 40
GPU - 40

Busy (after game):-
CPU - 40 each
HDD - 45
GPU - 70

Also, the GPU temperature goes down pretty fast after game. Like it takes not more than a minute to go from 70 to 45-50.

Thanks

 

You might not be able to properly clean the fan blades with the air blower. You can follow the dell service manual.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/studio1555/en/SM/index.htm

 

I got it today. I am happy with the purchase. Looks good, tilts good, extremely low noise and the best part - it does its job.

 

Thats great to hear. At some point you will probably want to take that apart too. It does get dusty (learn that myself). If you have any questions just ask!

How is the new temp readings like?

 

haha yeah it looks easy to open it up lol.

Old temps were good already and new temps are even better. My idle CPU even went to 25 once for the first time. In and all, I feel satisfied and cool.

 

I have bought this cooler and can not notice almost ANY difference in CPU temps... I have stressed system with orthos and CPU temp was about 64,65 deg with or without cooler (T7500 undervolted). It seems that CPU cooler reduces speed and noise when infinite is working, but it adding noise then... I do not see any benefit with this device, except excellent ergonomic boost (very important!)...

 

Strange, you are using it with the 8510p right? Works just fine with mine.